Dr. Donald Guthrie Harris

May 20, 1928 –November 20, 2014

What happened in the dash?

Dr. Don was born in Seattle WA on the 20th of May , 1928. He was the second son of Bert and Annie Harris Two years later the family moved to Vancouver, B.C. due to a job transfer. Annie added another son, Ralph and a daughter, Sylvia.

Don completed his first year of university before his 18th birthday and joined the US Army along with his older brother Paul. They did this to avail themselves of the educational benefits. don received training in radar and was transferred to Japan to operate and maintain radar air base landing guidance during impaired visibility weather. While in Japan he spent several months detached to the USO where he played the male lead in a comedy titled “Kiss and Tell.” The US Air force materialized in 1948 and thus Sgt. Don Harris was discharged in the spring of ’49.

Don attended summer and winter sessions at the University of British Columbia and was able to graduate in 1951. He and his brother Paul were both accepted to medical schools and graduated within a week of each other.

Dr. Don married Joan three days after his graduation, then they moved to San Francisco for his residency. Their daughter, Karen was born, and eighteen months later son Stuart arrived. When Dr. Don completed his residency, they moved south of San Francisco to Los Altos, where he started a solo practice in internal medicine. Another son, Bradford was born shortly after.

The next forty years were full and wonderful. Dr. Don greatly loved and enjoyed his wife and children, as well as his occupation. He chaired many committees at his El Camino Hospital where he served as chief of staff. He taught at Stanford for 23 years as an Associate Professor.

Joan and Don traveled a great deal and together they enjoyed different lands and different cultures.

In 1999, He retired and moved to Happy Valley, Oregon. He loved living just minutes away from family and enjoyed many high school football and basketball games. Though retired, he was not ready to stop practicing medicine so he joined Medical Teams International and was able to lend a hand in Turkey, Kosovo, Guyana, Uganda, and Katrina. He served on the Happy Valley Planning Commission for four years

Don loved Spring Mountain Bible Church and he loved the LORD and his church family. He deeply loved his wife Joan, and his children, his grandchildren and his great grandchildren. In his words, he was “overwhelmed with GOD’s blessings.

He is survived by his wife, Joan, his daughter and her husband, Karen and Scott McCord, his sons and their wives, Stuart and Judi, and Brad and Lisa; and by his grandsons and their wives, Harris and Bryden McCord, Gregg and Jenni McCord, Scooter and Shelby McCord, Alex and Raeanne Harris, and Tyler Harris; and by his great grandchildren, Lilly, Jane and Will McCord; Cash and Quinn McCord; and Brooke Harris.